Space Dad
by Hoseki13
Summary: Shiro is not a Space Dad. Heck, he's not even old enough to be one! "I did it! I actually managed to beat Keith! Shiro, did you see that!" Shiro is feeling proud but he is not a Space Dad. Nope. VOLTRON IS NOT MINE.
1. But Dad!

**Shiro is not a Space Dad. But people(aliens) always assumes he is.**

 **00000000000000000000000000000000**

It was just their usual day as Paladins of Voltron. Freeing a planet from the Galra, making a diplomatic relationship with said planet, and then try finding anything they could use, or in Hunk's case, spices or food that they could eat and for Pidge's case, some techs that catches her interest.

Then, one day, they discovered an alien version of a restaurant that has edible food. Real, safe-for-consumption, and definitely different than the space goop kind of food.

After much pleading and puppy-eyes at Allura, the Altean finally relented and gave them permission, with the condition that they would try to stay out of trouble and keep their coms on at all times.

The four young paladins gleefully went to their own rooms to change into a more comfortable one (yes, even Keith), Shiro smiling in amusement as he went to his own room in a more sedate pace.

When they arrived at the restaurant, they quickly snatched a table that's beside a window and has clear view of the door.

While trying to decide what to eat, both Lance and Keith got into a heated verbal fight about what kinds of food is the best.

Shiro sighed and tried to stop them from physically fighting each other, telling Pidge to put away the tablet she borrowed from Coran and to _please just choose one, Hunk. We don't really have time to try all of it._

As Shiro tried to keep them in check, the alien waitress chuckled at the sight. "It's nice to see someone take care of their offspring so well," she said.

Immediately, all of them froze up.

Shiro looked at the alien with wide eyes and a gaping mouth. "I- they're not- I mean- what makes you-" Shiro sputtered as the others looked at their usually calm and controlled leader stammering with a surprised and amused look.

Slowly, Lance's lips quirked into a smirk as his eyes turned devious. " _Daaaaad,_ Keith is making fun of me~!" Lance whined with a grin.

Keith looked at Lance in shock before turning to look at Shiro to defend himself. "But dad- I-I mean Shiro! I-!" Keith bit his lips to stop himself, blushing madly at the slip he made.

Lance was already laughing beside him while both Hunk and Pidge snickered so hard, they shook the table. Shiro just buried his hand into his palms, unable to say anything and slowly dying inside from embarrassment.


	2. Grounded

**Shiro is an adult. So being the responsible adult he is, he became an adult.**

 **000000000000000000000000000000000**

Shiro sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose, eyebrows wrinkled and lips forming a frown. Both Coran and Allura stood not far from him, each wearing an interested and dissatisfied look.

Pidge just stood in front of the man with a pout, her hands clasped neatly in front of her.

"Pidge, I get that you're interested in trying to understand how everything works but that doesn't mean you can just go and take this castle apart," Shiro looked at the teen standing in front of him with a disapproving look. "We were lucky there were no Galras or we could be in big trouble when the castle shutted down, even if it was only for a few ticks." he continued.

Pidge lowered her head, twisting one foot in nervousness. "... I'm sorry..." she apologised. "I promised I won't do it again." she said.

"I know you wouldn't. At least for a few days before you started fiddling with something else again. That's why I'm grounding you, little lady," Shiro decided.

 _"WHAT?!"_ Pidge exclaimed in surprise. "Why am I grounded!?"

"Well, you did made this ship stop dead in its track for a few ticks." Lance reminded from the side, earning a glare from the Green Paladin.

Keith elbowed Lance while telling him to shut up. When the brunet tried to retort, he caught Shiro's eyes and relunctantly stopped himself from trying to elbow Keth back.

"And," Shiro said, earning her attention once again. "I will be restricting your movements. From now on, you are not allowed to go to your lab or any other parts of the castle without Coran or Allura's permission for a week." Both the Alteans nodded their heads in agreement.

 ** _"WHAAAT!?!"_** That's not **_fair!"_** Pidge cried out again.

"Considering my original plan was to take away all your electronics and ban you from touching any technology for a week, I's say that's a reasonable offer. Now go to your room and reflect on what you did."

Pidge let out a huff of irritation before stomping in protest loudly on her way back to her room.

When Pidge left, the bridge became so quiet, you can hear a pin needle dropping to the floor. Until Lance started coughing.

"coughcough ** _spacedad_** coughcough" he said between coughs with a grin.

Both Alteans looked at him with a confused look while Hunk and Keith were smiling at their leader.

Shiro just sighed and ran a hand through his hair, wondering why did it came to this.


	3. Time Out

**Shiro believes that the paladins care for each other. But sometimes, they need to take some time out.**

 **00000000000000000000000000000000**

Training was never an activity that the young paladins enjoyed. Except Keith. And Shiro. Those bastards.

"I'm _dying..._ " Pidge moaned from her position, body sore and aching from the training. Her bayard was discarded uselessly beside her, not that she paid any attention since the coolness of the training floor seeping through her armour felt like heaven to her hot and sweaty body.

"I agree with Pidge." Hunk wheezed not far from her, already giving up on trying to turn around so he could lay on his back. Instead, he just pressed his cheek against the cool surface, relishing at the feel.

The sound of a fight going on elicited a groan from the Green Paladin. "Jesus! When will they stop and _die_ from exhaustion like me already?" Pidge asked as she moved her head a little to see Lance, Keith and Shiro still attacking the training robot.

Hunk gave out a groan. "Probably by getting themselves killed," he answered.

Pidge let out a sound of agreement to him before they both fell in a comfortable silence, not minding the fight still going on not far from them.

Allura, meanwhile, just looked at them in disgust. "Why humans sweat this much is beyond me," she said, not approaching the two paladins currently on the floor, sweating and most probably dying.

"Buzz off, Allura," Pidge mumbled, already feeling too sleepy to even give the princess a sassy comeback. Before she could even slip into Lala Land, the sound of someone shouting in pain followed by a curse and Shiro's shout of _"Language!"_ had forced her to spring into a sitting position, even though her muscles screamed in protest, her eyes wide and alert, Hunk also doing the same.

Being a paladin really did wonders to them.

"What was that for!?" Keith hissed as he rubbed his shoulder that was hit by Lance's plasma blaster. "Are you trying to kill me?!"

"It was an accident!" Lance shouted indignantly.

Before they could get into a fight, Shiro stepped between them, breaking their line of sight on each other. "Alright, that's enough. It was an accident so there's no need to put blame on anyone." Shiro told them. Both paladins grumbled but gave a nod.

Shiro smiled at that. "Ok, if that's settled, let's continue," he said with a good-natured smile and continued the training.

Everything was going really well. Until Keith tripped Lance. On purpose.

"Called it~!" both Hunk and Pidge said from the sidelines, sipping on their water pouches they got from somewhere as they watched the Red and Blue paladins descended on each other while letting out a string of curses.

Shiro sighed loudly before he stepped up and physically pulled themselves away from each other. **"Enough."** Shiro said with what Pidge dubbed as his Space Dad tone.

Both paladins immediately stopped, eyes still glaring heatingly at each other.

Shiro let out another sigh. "Alright, I've had enough. You guys clearly need to cool down so I'm giving you a time out. **Now.** "

Everyone was silent.

Both Pidge and Hunk stared at Shiro in surprise.

Both Keith and Lance gaped at Shiro in disbelief.

Both Allura and Coran (who was there when the fight started) looked at Shiro in confusion.

When neither moved, Shiro pointedly looked at them. Getting the message, they both closed their jaws with an audible click and each sullenly made their way to a corner where they are far away from each other.

For a few ticks, no one said a thing. Until Pidge burst into a hysterical giggle.

"Oh my god!! Shiro! Shiro!! That was a fucking Space Dad move!!" Pidge gasped through her giggles, clutching her stomach while wiping away some tears that had formed at the corners of her eyes.

Hunk was chuckling beside the Green Paladin, patting the girl's back when she began to choke on her own spit from laughing too much.

Keith and Lance couldn't hide the grins starting to form on their lips before they too burst into laughter.

Both the Alteans stared at the paladins in confusion, not understanding what's going on while Shiro buried his face into his hands out of embarrassment, trying desperately to hide his blushing face.


	4. I Expected Better From You

**Shiro likes to hope. Unfortunately, the universe likes to crush said hope.**

 **00000000000000000000000000000000000**

Shiro cannot believe it. No, he simply can't, no matter how glaringly obvious the evidence is telling him.

"Hunk... please, please, _please_ tell me that's not what I think it is?" Shiro pleaded, silently hoping that all of this is just a silly dream caused from stress.

Hunk just gave him a sheepish smile. "Um... I can explain?" he said hesitantly.

Shiro sighed and dragged his flesh hand across his face, exasperation starting to bubble up in him. Looking at the mess, Shiro wondered what in the name of everything holy was Hunk doing to cause this.

"Hunk... why does the kitchen looked as if it had just been blasted by Red's fire cannon?" Shiro finally asked, his curiousity winning over his desire to be ignorant.

Lance snorted behind him and Shiro is 95% sure Keith is glaring at Lance. Pidge had gave a low whistle, impressed at the destruction she saw when she walked in.

Hunk shifted on his feet, twiddling with his fingers in a nervous manner. "I was trying to make this new dish I've been wanting to try and... well... I forgot that Altean tech isn't really the same as Earth tech," Hunk explained in embarrassment.

Shiro sighed again, faintly wondering just how many times had he sighed today. If this keeps up, his last words might be a sigh instead of something useful or heroic.

"Hunk, you were the last person I thought that would get into trouble. I expected better from you," Shiro said with another sigh.

"Oh snap! He just used his 'Disappointed Dad' look!" Pidge whispered between Lance and Keith.

"He's in deep trouble." Keith commented lowly, Lance agreeing with him for once. "As much as I love him, Hunk is on his own." Lance added as he looked at his best buddy with a pained look.

Hunk just stood in the middle of the carnage, looking very guilty. "I'm sorry, Shiro. I was wrong in assuming that they were the same as Earth tech," Hunk apologised.

Shiro rested his human hand on Hunk's shoulder and looked at the yellow paladin with a soft smile. "It's alright, Hunk. We all make mistakes. Just remember to ask Coran when you're unsure about something that has to do with something Altean okay?"

Hunk nodded his head, making Shiro smile in satisfaction at him.

"Now, since you had admitted to your mistake and apologised, I won't ban you from the kitchen. But you have to apologise to Coran and Allura and help them fix this up after this, okay?" Shiro asked the teen who responded with a nod and a relieved smile.

 _"What?!"_ Pidge screeched from her position, causing both the blue and red paladin to slap their hands on their ears to block that horrible sound. "Why did he get away scott free just like that while I was grounded for a _week_ when I messed with the castle?!" she questioned loudly.

"Uh... need I remind you that while Hunk blew up the kitchen, _you_ blew up the _castle_." Lance said as he rubbed his ears.

Pidge scoffed at that. "Oh _please._ I didn't _blew up_ the castle. I only tried to upgrade it!"

"Without permission." Keith added flatly.

"Yeah. At least Hunk has a full permission on using the kitchen. Unlike _you_ ," Lance reminded her.

"Why you-!"

"That's enough," Shiro said with a clap of his hands, getting the paladins' attention. "Now that this thing is settled, I suggest all of you to quickly go to the training deck for our daily training. The princess doesn't like it when we arrive late for training."

Everyone except Keith groaned at that.

"I would rather be grounded than do any more training," Pidge grumbled as she made her way towards the dreaded room.

"Me too," Lance mumbled in agreement, following Pidge with Keith not far behind them.

When the others had left, Hunk finally moved, stopping beside Shiro to give the older man a smile. "Sorry about this, Shiro. And thanks."

Shiro just waved dismissively. "Just don't forget to tell them about this," he reminded.

Hunk gave a thumbs up before he turned around and broke into a jog to try and catch up with his fellow paladins.

Standing in the messy kitchen, Shiro allowed himself to feel amused as he eyed the damage around him. "Hunk can really do some damage if he wanted to." he commented.

 _'Just like how the yellow paladin and his Lion can cause destruction if they wished for it,'_ Black rumbled in his mind.

Shiro smiled grimly at that. "Yes. But let us hope they won't have to," Shiro said as he made his way towards the training deck.

 _'Of course, my paladin.'_ Black purred and sent out a feeling of understanding and reassurance to Shiro, promising him that everything will be alright.


	5. Goodnight Kiss

**To dragoscilvio, your suggestion have really given me a great idea for this. Thank you. I hope you like it** :)

 **0000000000000000000000000000**

Shiro wasn't sure why it started, but he does know how and who started it.

Lance, in all his pyjama glory with his blue slippers, burst into the common room where Shiro was currently relaxing in and demanded him to give him a goodnight kiss.

At first, Shiro was confused and wondered if Lance had finally lost it. But when he saw those anxious eyes, he knew that it would become something that he would frequently do for the blue paladin.

With a smile, Shiro stood up and approached Lance, agreeing to his demands.

A part of Shiro felt extremely embarrassed but the smile that Lance had given to him when Shiro had agreed had made him push his embarrassment away, happy to know that he at least were able to make sure one of his ki- _teammates_ will have a good rest.

Following Lance to his bedroom, Shiro tucked Lance in with a hint of amusement and kissed Lance goodnight on his forehead, wishing him sweet dreams. Lance replied with a contented sigh, murmuring a 'goodnight' to him sleepily.

When he stepped out of the room, he was a bit startled to see Hunk, looking shyly at him in the hall.

"Umm... can I have a goodnight kiss too?" he asked shyly, blushing a little.

Shiro had to hold back a chuckle and nodded his head. Hunk beamed at him and proceed to drag him to his room.

Shiro did the same thing to Hunk, wishing the teen sweet dreams and stepped out from the room, a smile of happiness stuck on his face as he made his way towards his own room.

After a few nights of tucking and wishing them a good night, Pidge and Keith found out about it and demanded the same thing. Pidge, demanding it loudly while Keith asking him hesitantly.

Being the kind leader he is, he gave them what they wanted, and soon, it became a common thing for the black paladin to tuck in and give a goodnight kiss to each paladins.

Of course, both Alteans found it very cute and endearing. Allura could not stop smiling at him when she found out while Coran just congratulated him, saying how proud he was to finally see them being a proper family.

Although embarrassed, Shiro didn't really think too much about this new routine they're doing, thinking it's just some ways he could help his fellow teammates.

But that all changed when they decided to have a movie night.

Thanks to Pidge's brilliance and Hunk's miracles, they were able to set up some sort of projector that could project the movies clustering in Pidge's laptop that she brought along, among other things.

Snuggling in the couch, the paladins relaxed in their seat and enjoyed the night, once in awhile explaining something to the Alteans when they asked about the movie.

Maybe because of the training they had earlier, Shiro noticed that the young paladins had been drooping, eyes barely open to watch the movie. Shiro smiled at that and carefully shifted their positions so they could fall asleep more comfortably.

Since he's trapped by the younger paladins around him, he gave each of them a ruffle in the hair. "Goodnight, you guys." he said in an endearing tone.

"Night, dad..." was what they answered in a sleepy state, sighing contently as they burrowed and leaned into Shiro, who had gone rigid in shock.

Slowly, Shiro relaxed and let his lips curled into a content smile, his chest feeling very warm and nice when he heard that.

"They really like you, Shiro," Allura commented softly from the side, Coran agreeing with her. Both Alteans smiled happily at the paladins that had become a family to them.

Shiro hummed in agreement, his eyes slowly sliding to a close. A rumble from Black had soothed his mind and finally, after what seemed like a long time, Shiro slipped into a peaceful sleep filled with streaks of vibrant colors, promising a better tomorrow.


	6. Dad Jokes

**When Shiro accidentally makes a joke** **, it usually ends up with one or more paladins dying.**

 **000000000000000000000000000000000000**

The door to the common room slide open to let in four exhausted paladins into its cold comfort, making all of them sigh in relief. Immediately, they dragged themselves towards the sofa and collapsed on it, eyes slowly closing to welcome the sweet bliss of unconsciousness.

A few ticks later, the door opened again and Shiro walked in with a tablet in his hand, his face showing deep concentration on what's in the tab as he made his way towards the sofa to settle in.

"It seems we need to do more group training. We need to fix our teamwork so it could be a lot better in battle," Shiro announced to them while tapping the tab.

Everyone present groaned, even Keith.

"Oh yeah? Well, I'm beat." Lance, who was the nearest with Shiro, answered flatly.

"And I'm dead serious," Shiro countered without looking up from the tab, still reading the reports.

When he didn't hear anything, he curiously glanced up to his team, only to see them gaping like a fish at him. "Guys? What's wrong?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

Lance looked at Pidge who was sitting on the floor beside him, mouth still hanging. "D-did Shiro just... did he just... he made..." Lance gestured helplessly at Shiro while still staring wide-eyed at Pidge.

Pidge just nod in confirmation, still in shock, earning a strangled sound from Lance. The paladin then buried his face into his hands.

"Oh my god... I can't... I never thought..." Lance stuttered behind his hands, his shoulders starting to shake.

By now, Shiro is really worried. "Uh, Lance? What-"

"Shiro just made a Dad joke!!!" Keith, surprisingly, was the one who shouted out those words, causing all of the paladins except Shiro to dissolve into fits of giggles.

"I... what?" Shiro blinked in confusion.

When Lance and Pidge started to choke on their own spit from too much laughter, Shiro instantly dropped the tablet and kneeled between them, rubbing their backs as they try to regain their breath. "You guys okay?" he frowned in worry.

Both paladins shakily held a thumbs up, body still shaking from residual giggles.

Sighing, Shiro looked up to the ceiling, as if praying to the gods up above. "And the universe is depending on us," he sighed as he continued rubbing the still coughing Pidge and Lance, glancing worriedly at Hunk and Keith who looked like they might pass out from too much laughter. Shiro just sighed again, wondering how his life had become like this.

000000000000000000000

 **I never said I was a good joker. LOL.**


	7. Proof You're A Space Dad

**Shiro says he's not a Space Dad but evidence says otherwise.**

 **00000000000000000000000000000**

"Shiro, it seems your children are requesting for some down time."

Shiro immediately choked on his drink when Allura made the announcement as soon as she entered the kitchen.

Frowning in concern, Allura patted Shiro's back gently, imitating the way Hunk did when Pidge had choked on her own drink the last time. "Are you alright?" she asked when Shiro's coughing fit had settled down.

"Y-yeah..." Shiro answered, wiping away the liquid running down his mouth with the back of his hand. "Um, about what you said just now... can you repeat that again?" he asked.

With a smile, Allura gladly repeated her words, causing Shiro's face to turn red.

"Um, princess. Why did you call the paladins my children?" Shiro carefully asked.

Allura blinked once and looked at Shiro in confusion. "Well, they are your children, are they not? They had called you 'dad' on most occasion and Lance once told me that it meant 'father'. That means they are your children, no?"

This time, it was Shiro's turn to blink. "I... _what?"_ he asked again. "Princess, I am **_not_** their father!" Shiro clarified as he stood up from his seat, eyes distressed from this misunderstanding. "I am **_not!"_**

Right about then, Lance and Pidge walked in.

"Hey dad! Pidge and I are going to head out for a tick with Coran!" Lance grinned as he gestured at Coran who was sitting in the chair with a tablet in his hands, clearly present and amused by the interaction between Shiro and Allura.

"What for?" he asked, glancing at the Altean man who had moved out of his seat and is heading out of the room.

"Coran mentioned to us that he's going out to buy some supplies and Hunk wanted to buy some food from the nearby alien marketplace and we decided to tag along to see what we can find," Pidge explained. "So can we go, dad? Pretty please?" she pleaded, giving Shiro the puppy eyes.

"Yes, but only if you stay close to Coran!" he shouted at the excited paladins that had already ran off down the hall.

"We will! Thanks dad!" Lance hollered back before he and Pidge disappeared around the corner.

When he turned around to face Allura, he was greeted by her smiling, an eyebrow raised delicately in question.

"That proves **_nothing."_** Shiro denied firmly before he walked out of the room, a blush slowly creeping up his face.

Allura just let out a soft chuckle before she went to the kitchen to get a cup of warm drink of her own.


	8. Happy Father's Day

**Shiro sometimes wonder why his teammates are like this... (not that he really minded)**

 **00000000000000000000000000000000**

When Shiro stepped into the kitchen for breakfast, he was greeted by a grinning Hunk and a plate of what suspiciously looked like a cake, only more purple and... gooer.

As he took his seat at the table, he gave Hunk a questioning look. "What's this for?" he asked.

"Just something I've been experimenting with. Go on! Try it! I promise it's edible," the yellow paladin assured the man with a smile.

Not doubting Hunk's words, he tentatively took a bite of the cake-goo. Instantly, he was met with a delicious combination of sweetness and bitterness, reminding him a bit of that one coffee cake he'd ate once.

"Hunk, this is amazing!" he praised as he took another bite, then another, and another, and another, until everything was gone.

Hunk beamed in pride at the compliment. "Thanks, Shiro! Glad to know you enjoyed it! Now shoo! I need to work on my other experiments," Hunk waved, taking the empty plate with him to the kitchen.

Not minding Hunk's dismissal, Shiro walked out of the kitchen and made his way towards the bridge, his mind drifting back at the cake-goo he had just now.

His thoughts abruptly came to a stop when he saw Keith _and_ Lance huddled together, being all dodgy and suspicious, in front of _his_ room.

Curious, Shiro silently approached the two paladins, careful not to let them see him.

When he was close enough to hear a bit of their conversation, he raised an eyebrow at what he heard.

 _"We don't have to leave a card! It's obvious enough those things are from us!"_ Keith hissed lowly at Lance.

The blue paladin made a face. _"Well, let's put it somewhere obvious then!"_ he countered in a hush.

 _"I thought putting it there is obvious enough?!"_

Hearing enough of it, he gave a cough, intent on having their attention. Shiro half-expected them to freeze up in shock or for them to look at him in guilt.

He did not, however, predicted that they would react as violently as they did.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAH!" both paladins shouted loudly in surprise before bolting down the hallway and out of Shiro's sight.

Shiro blinked once, twice, before he entered his room.

There, sitting neatly on his bed, were a few obviously handwritten coupons and a face mask from Keith and Lance respectively. Shiro chuckled lightly, smiling fondly at the items before he carefully put it in his drawers.

After making sure that nothing was missing and everything is in order, he stepped out of his room and continued making his way towards the bridge, his mind wondering why the hell the two paladins left those things in his room and _did he tell anyone about his birthday? Is today his birthday? Wait, he doesn't even know what today's date is._

With his thoughts occupied, Shiro didn't even realise he arrived at the bridge until Allura called out to him.

"Shiro?"

"Yes?" he replied automatically, looking up at the princess standing at the controls with Coran.

Allura gave him a smile, making him blush a little. "Shiro, Pidge was here just now and she had told me that she wanted to meet you." Allura informed the black paladin.

Shiro raised an eyebrow at that. Pidge wanted to see him. What could it be?

"Shiro..." a voice called out behind him, startling the young adult out of his reverie. Turning around, he saw Pidge standing not far from him, eyes hidden under her now long bangs. "Pidge. You wanted to see me?" he asked, eyes warily looking at his teammate.

When she said nothing, Shiro moved closer to her, eyes now concerned. "Pidge, what-"

"PLEASE ACCEPT THIS!" Pidge shouted nervously as she held out a letter to him, effectively shutting Shiro up.

Looking at the clearly homemade envelope, Shiro accepted it with a strained smile. "Pidge, what-" he wasn't able to ask her properly when the green paladin immediately bolted out of the room as soon as the letter was safely in Shiro's hands, leaving a stunned Shiro and two very curious Alteans behind.

"Fascinating," Coran commented as he looked at the letter in Shiro's hands. "A primitive way of making contact is still used among you, humans," he observed the object with great interest.

"I wonder what's inside..." Allura spoke, curious eyes never leaving the letter.

Nervously, Shiro pried opened the envelope, slowly taking out the content. Both Alteans leaned in closer to get a good look on what it is.

When the piece of paper within the envelope was carefully tugged out, Shiro gaped at the letters written clearly with coloured crayons (how they got them is a mystery Shiro would rather not solve) spelling out a "Happy Daddy's Day!" in bright blue and red colour. A few comments from each paladins were scribbled in their respective colour around the red heart, proving that all of the paladins, excluding Shiro, were invloved in this.

Shiro could only lay a hand on his face, sighing loudly into said hand as he wondered why his team are like this. (not that he actually minded)

Meanwhile, the aliens had somehow got ahold of the paper and are now examining it, a few questions were thrown at the black paladin that went unanswered.


	9. That's My Girl

**Pidge proves to them that she can be as badass as they are and Shiro is so proud of her.**

 **000000000000000000000000000000000**

It was supposed to be an easy mission. Sneak into the Galra ship, take every intel they have, set a self-destruct sequence then get the hell out of there.

Of course, when it comes to being a paladin of Voltron, nothing is easy.

Shiro glanced at his side, eying his teammates with a critical eye but with so much blood flowing from his wound, he can't really see much.

Hunk who was kneeling at the end of the line was breathing heavily, making Shiro worry. He wondered if the yellow paladin had sustained heavy injuries. The blue and red paladins were also not in a good shape.

Lance had a bruised face, a result from the punch he received from the commander of this ship. Keith looked like he could topple to the ground at any moment, dizzy from all the beatings he got when he attacked the commander that punched Lance. Pidge, thankfully, was not here. The only female paladin in their group was in another room when Shiro and the others were ambushed.

"Now then. I understand that there are five paladins of Voltron. Currently, I have four. So where's the other one?" the commander whose name Shiro had already forgotten asked with a sneer.

"Ha!" Lance huffed loudly, shifting a little in his position. "Like we would tell you," he smirked at the commander.

"Again, I ask you, where is your other paladin? And think carefully what you say, blue paladin, or you might not be able to speak at all after this," the commander threatened.

Shiro glared at the commander, anger welling inside of him at the threat the alien had just made towards Lance. Before he could open his mouth, the light within the room went off, leaving the occupants flailing blindly in the darkness. The emergency light lit up and basked the room in a faint purple.

 _"You know, I would have checked who I messed around with before I do anything."_ A voice said through the coms from somewhere. All of the paladins perked up when they recognised that familiar voice.

"Who are you?! Show yourself!" the commander demanded.

 _"You see, I don't really like it when someone tries to hurt my friends."_ Pidge continued, ignoring the commander. _"Which is why, I'm gonna do this."_ Instantly, all robot sentries pointed their blaster at the commander, leaving the paladins unguarded.

Surprised at this, the commander bared his teeth, hands gripping tight on his weapon.

 _"You asked me who I am. Well, let me tell you."_ the door opened and Pidge entered in all her green suit glory. "I am the green paladin and I'm going to kick your furry ass!" she announced before launching herself towards the Galra.

Taken by surprise, the commander swung his weapon a second too late before Pidge's bayard wrapped itself around the Galra and gave him an electric shock powerful enough to knock him out cold.

Now out of his restraints, Shiro looked at Pidge with a proud smile. "That's my girl," he praised her.

Pidge preened, grinning in triumph. "Thanks, dad." she answered in a joking manner but her tone was sincere, showing how happy she was at the compliment. "I got all the datas so let's get outta here."

Shiro made a sound of agreement and went to help Hunk while Lance helped Keith. With Pidge at the front as their guide, they made their way back towards their Lions and quickly left the ship, eager to be back at the castleship that had now become their home.


	10. Prepare To Die

**For dragoscilvio who suggested this. Thanks so much for your idea.**

 **00000000000000000000000000000000**

Shiro is not having the best day.

"If you touch me, I swear on Voltron's name I will break every, single, bones you have," Shiro warned the Galra beside him with narrowed eyes.

"I'd like to see you try, _human."_ the Galra replied mockingly. Shiro could only growl in frustration at that, his hands, legs and body already strained from being strapped onto the metal table so harshly and tightly.

His eyes flickered from one druid to another, baring his teeth in a threatening display, daring them to come near him and touch him. Black could only growl in frustration in Shiro's head, unable to help her paladin.

When a druid reached over to touch his face, the wall suddenly got blasted away, a few pieces of flying shrapnels had hit some of the druids and knocked them dead.

When the dust from the blast had settled down, Shiro strained his eyes to see who it was, and was unsurprised to see his team, Hunk's cannon still smoking from being used to make an entrance.

Lance stepped a few feet forward, bringing his blaster up and pointing towards the druids. Then, he declared loudly with a serious tone. "My name is Lance McClain. You killed my father, prepare to die."

Shiro's mouth immediately flew open and before he could even register what he was saying, the words quickly left his mouth. "But I'm not dead!" he shouted in exasperation and slight amusement because _of course Lance would do that. He's **Lance.**_

"Shh, you're ruining the moment." Lance grinned at the black paladin.

"Yeah, shut up and let us save you." Keith agreed as he brandished his sword, eyes narrowing dangerously at the druids.

"Now," Lance spoke aloud, attracting the Galras' attention once more. "Prepare to die."

After a few struggling moments, the paladins were able to free Shiro and defeat the Galras, quickly leaving the ship with their leader and wormholed to a safer solar system once all Lions were safely in the castleship.

"Dude, that was awesome." Hunk declared to Lance once they entered the living room, resting a hand on his best friend's shoulder. In return, Lance rested his hand on Hunk's shoulder, solemnly staring at Hunk. "I know," he replied before he cracked a wide grin. The yellow paladin mirrored Lance's face and both paladins quickly dissolved into fits of laughter, Pidge and even Keith joining in as well.

Shiro just cast them an amused smile before he returned his attention back at Allura, intent to hear what she was saying to him.


	11. Bad Day

**Shiro is having a bad day and the universe seems intent on making it worse.** **Thankfully, he's not alone anymore.**

 **0000000000000000000000000000000000**

Shiro was having a bad day.

He woke up from a nightmare he can't remember and his Galra arm was being a bother, the phantom pain that kept haunting him seemed to intensify.

The day kept getting worse when Hunk told them that they had ran out of ingredients so they have to eat space goo for awhile and while Shiro wouldn't usually mind it, today is just a bad day and the food goo reminded him a little of the time when he spent being a prisoner of the Galras. Nevertheless, he forced himself to eat it because he needed the energy to go through the already awful day.

When Allura told them about a planet that needed to be freed from the Galras a few moments later, Shiro had to bit back a groan. He was tired and felt like he could collapse at any second but he can't because a planet needed the Voltron and without him, there will be no Voltron.

Thankfully, there weren't that many Galra bases on that planet and they were easy to destroy so they were able to free the planet really quick.

Unfortunately, not all Galras were taken down when their bases blew up. Turns out, there were some teams that had been deployed in order to capture the natives.

Which was how it had led them to his current situation, kneeling in front of a Galra while bleeding heavily from an attack he took while trying to save a native.

He really should have been aware of his surroundings but the phantom pain from his arm kept distracting him, and now he paid the price. Stupid arm.

Glaring defiantly at the Galra in front of him, Shiro hoped the native he saved is in a safe distance so he/she/them(?) won't be able to see his death. He also hoped his team wouldn't be too sad after this. "My kids are going to kill you after this." Shiro warned the Galra but the alien pain no mind to his words.

Before the Galra could swing his blade down towards Shiro, a green cord had wrapped around its body and let out a jolt of intense and concentrated electricity, enough to knock the alien out cold.

Looking up, Shiro smiled proudly at the green paladin. "That's my girl," Shiro praised before he fell to his side and blacked out.

When he opened his eyes, he was faintly aware of the familiar glass in front of him before it disappeared. Shiro stumbled out of the pod, disoriented, before he landed into a pair of strong and warm arms, Hunk's arms.

"Hey, dad. Glad to see you finally decided to join us, youngsters." Hunk greeted jokingly with a sniff. He clearly had been crying just a few moments ago. Shiro gave a smile at the gentle giant. "Thanks for catching me, Hunk."

"Shiro!" Pidge shouted as she ran towards him and wedged herself between the two men, hugging Shiro's body tightly and buried her face into his pod shirt. "You're okay!" she cried in relief.

"Hey, it's okay. I'm okay. You saved me, remember?" Shiro murmured while rubbing her back in a soothing manner. Pidge just nodded in silence, her grip tightening.

The rest of the team silently joined them, Allura and Coran included, assuring themselves and others that they still have each other, that they still haven't lost one another, that they're still here, alive and breathing.

After a few dobashes, they slowly untangled themselves from their group hug. No one commented a thing when they saw Allura wiping away a tear or Keith clutching tightly at Lance's jacket or Shiro hugging Pidge a bit longer. They just smiled at each other in understanding, knowing that they have each other's back.


	12. Guardians

**The aliens are attracted to Shiro and proceeds to tackle him. Unfortunately for them, Shiro has four little (plus two not so little) guardians protecting his... um, innocence.**

 **000000000000000000000000000000000000**

Shiro is confused.

Everytime they freed a planet from the Galras, most aliens would approach him and tried to talk to him. Of course, being the nice and responsible paladin he is, he politely made a conversation with them. But what made him very confused was their interactions with him afterwards.

Sometimes, he would get called away or get distracted by Allura or the other paladins. When he returned to the aliens to continue their chat, the aliens would always either apologise and excused themselves, get all nervous before running away from him or just... disappeared.

In short, Shiro is very confused. But he doesn't really mind much... ok well he did mind it a little (a lot) because one second they're all smiles and compliments and then suddenly, they became all jittery and fearful. But still, as someone who had been known as the Champion and survived Haggar's cruel experimentations, he chose to not think about it and move on.

...Shiro is beginning to wonder if he should be worried of himself for being like this. "Space can really change people, huh?" he muttered under his breath as he made his way towards Allura.

Meanwhile, unbeknownst to Shiro's knowledge, the other paladins had been trying to keep other aliens from getting too close to him.

Keith glared at any approaching aliens and bared his teeth, daring them to come closer. He would even go so far as to flash his Marmora blade to them as a sign of warning.

Hunk offered them cookies while they're waiting for Shiro with a kind smile that turned into an evil grin when the aliens feel their stomach rebelling, threatening to empty their contents.

Both Lance and Pidge just hissed **_"Mine!"_** or **_"Not my dad you whore!"_** and many other words at the aliens, scaring them into oblivion because _holy quiznak!_ They may be small and skinny but they can be as scary as Zarkon himself if they want to.

Allura did no such thing of course. She's far too mature to do that sort of childish display. But if her grip became too tight when shaking hands/claws/mandibles/etc with them or broke any glass or liquid holder after they casually said how attractive the Black Paladin is, she would just apologise and say "Oh silly me, I'm still not used to controlling my strength after sleeping for so many years," with an intimidating smile.

As the oldest sentient being within the group living in the Castle of Lions (minus the Lions), Coran is far too old to participate in this kind of thing. But that doesn't mean he won't do anything about it. Sometimes, if he joins the group to the party that was held in their honour, he would usually just drag the aliens that had talked to Shiro away and initiated a very long and sometimes, very made up story about his younger days.

The Lions? Well, let's just say they look forward for the next party to be held in their paladins' honour.


	13. Scary Stories

**The younger paladins decided to tell stories to scare each other and ultimately paid the price. Shiro can't help but be amused and exasperated.**

 **000000000000000000000000000000000000**

Somewhere in one of the paladins' sleeping quarters, four humans huddled around on the floor in the dim-lit room, blankets wrapped snugly around them as they waited for one of them to start.

"Ok, since it's my idea, I'll go first." Lance said. He reached out for the Altean version of a torchlight that Pidge had found and placed it under his chin, pressing it on. The light shining from the tool cast an eerie shadow on his face.

"Once upon a time," Lance started. "There lived an old mother and her young adult daughter in a cozy little house."

"Of course it has to be in a cozy house and not a forest."

"Shut up, Pidge. Anyway, the daughter was known for her beauty and grace, capturing everyone's heart. The guys would fall head over heels in love with her, asking her to marry them. Of course, she rejected all. Then, one day, a very handsome man came to her and proposed, asking her to be his wife. And as usual, she rejected him. Angered by her actions, he demanded the reason why. With practised ease, the girl answered: _"My mother is still living with me. I must take care of her."_ The man immediately smiled and praised the girl for being a good daughter before walking away, whistling a tune."

"Oh man, this is where everything goes bad, right?"

"Hunk, shhh!"

"One night, someone had called her and demanded to see her at once. Curious and worried, the girl kissed her mother goodbye and left the house, arriving at the promised meeting place a few moments later. There, sitting nicely on the ground, was a note. It said: _When you come back home, you will surely marry me._ Sensing that something is wrong, she quickly returned to her home."

"Oh man, oh man, oh man, oh man-"

 _"Hunk!"_

"Sorry, Pidge."

"Shut up, you two."

"Guys, stop interrupting, will you? Anyway, when the girl arrived, she noticed a trail of something red across the living room, going all the way up the stairs. Quietly, she followed the trail and stopped in front of her room. With trembling hands, she twisted the knob open and there, sitting on her bed with a smile, was the man from earlier, her mother's head still dripping blood on his lap. Horrified by the sight, she tried to run away but before she could escape, a sharp pain blossomed on her side. Collapsing to the floor, she could only breathe harshly as she bleed, looking hazily at the man approaching towards her in cold horror. _From now on, we will live happily ever after_ the man promised sweetly and the girl finally closed her eyes, forever haunted by the sickeningly sweet smile of that man. The end."

Pidge whistled in awe while Hunk whimpered in fear. Pitying his best friend, Lance rubbed Hunk's bad in a soothing circle. "Sorry, bro. But I warned you about it and you still joined us." Lance reminded.

"I clearly regret my choices now," Hunk mourned.

"Ok, my turn now. Stand aside bitches, and get ready to be scared off your shits." Pidge declared as she grabbed the flashlight from Lance.

"Shiro would be giving you his 'Disappointed Dad' look right now."

"Shut up, Lance."

After a few seconds of finding the right angle, she turned her attention towards her audience.

"Let me tell you my story." she started with a low voice. "It started with Jessica. A good gal and very funny. She's also as blind as a bat without her glasses. One day, she was being mean to me and never apologised. So I took her glasses and hid it away from her. Too bad she couldn't see me. Then there was Philip. Philip was an asshole and was being a dick to me. Philip also had long hair. Too bad it blocked his vision. After that was Molly. She was a bit paranoid about everything but she's as bitchy as any other bitches that had walked on Earth. Fortunately, she never checked what's underneath her bed... and then there was you." she looked pointedly at Lance. "You never did anything wrong. You're just too annoying and too focused on listening to my story to see what's behind you." she grinned before the light went off, plunging the others into darkness and eerie silence.

"Uh, Pidge?" Lance tentatively called out as his eyes tried to adjust themselves within the darkness. Suddenly, he went still as he felt something breathing behind him.

 ** _"Boo."_**

Lance screamed bloody murder as Pidge cackled behind him, clutching at her aching side as she did so.

Hunk, who was unfortunately sitting beside Lance, had also screamed in fear and was _this_ close to passing out. Keith just chuckled, high-fiving Pidge in the process.

"Quiznak you, Pidge!" Lance glared at the Green Paladin.

Pidge just gave him a peace sign before settling back into her previous position between Keith and Hunk. "You have to admit, I scared you good." she smirked.

Lance didn't say anything but he couldn't help but agree with her in his mind. Not that he will ever say it out loud. Looking at his best friend beside him, Lance gave Hunk a concerned look. "Hunk, buddy, my bro. You sure you want to continue this?"

"It's fine if you want us to stop." Keith said.

"Yeah, we won't blame you." Pidge piped up.

"No... I agreed to this. Might as well go all the way. But can I go last?"

"Yeah sure, buddy." Lance gave him a pat on the shoulder. "It's your turn then, Mullet." Lance smirked at the Red Paladin.

Keith rolled his eyes at the nickname but said nothing and took the flashlight from Pidge.

"You sure you can handle this, Hunk?" he asked once more in concern. Hunk replied with a shaky smile.

Nodding his head in acceptance, Keith positioned the flashlight under his chin and pushed it on.

"Well, this is a story that I heard from a guy I met once. He told me about a family that had lived in his neighbourhood."

"Wait, you have a _friend?"_

"No, that guy was just some random guy who suddenly spoke to me. Anyway, he said that several years ago, the mother and the father decided they needed a break, so they wanted to head out for the night at a town. They called their most trusted babysitter to watch over their kids. When the babysitter arrived, the children were already fast asleep in their beds. So the babysitter just got to sit around and make sure everything was okay with the children. Later that night, the babysitter got bored and went to watch TV, but she couldn't watch it downstairs because they don't have cable downstairs."

"The atrocity!"

 _"Pidge!"_

" _Anyway,_ she called them and asked if she could watch cable in the parent's room. The parents said it was okay but the babysitter had one final request - she asked if she could cover up the statue outside the bedroom window with a blanket or a cloth, because it made her nervous."

"Now I'm nervous."

"Don't worry, buddy, I got you."

"The phone line was silent for a moment, and the father who was talking to the babysitter at the time said; _"Take the children and get out of the house. We don't own a statue."_ "

"Omigod..."

"Quiznak."

"The police found both of the children and the babysitter slumped in the pool of their own blood within three minutes of the call. No statue was found anywhere near the house no matter where they looked." Keith removed the flashlight from under his chin and placed it on the floor. "You guys okay?"

Hunk could only let out a muffled sound behind Pidge, while Lance's shaking body pressed hard against Hunk's. Pidge rolled her eyes in exasperated fondness as she patted the gentle giant currently clinging to her with soft pats on his head. "I think we have enough for tonight." she announced to them, which was quickly agreed by the Blue and Yellow Paladin.

Keith got up and made his way towards the control panel to brighten up the room when the sound of something scurrying across the room made him stop in his tracks. Looking back at the group, he was met with three pairs of wide-eyed teenagers staring at him.

Everyone held their breaths and tried to strain their ears to see if they could hear it again. When they heard nothing, they all simultaneously let out a relieved sigh, only to have their hearts skip a beat when the noises came again, only much louder than before.

Glancing at each other, they all came to an unanimous decision and without a single word uttered, Keith slammed his hand on the control panel and everyone scrambled to get out of the room the second the door slid open. They did not stop their movements until they reached Shiro's room and without any warning whatsoever, they barged into their leader's room and crowded around the very surprised paladin.

"What's wrong?" Shiro instantly asked when he saw them. "You looked like you guys had just seen a ghost," he joked lightly, only to make the teens go pale, paler than they were before. Concerned by their reaction, Shiro chose to question about it later and tried to be as comfortable as he can. "You can tell me about it later. For now, get some sleep." he said. With that said, the paladins still looked wary and nervous. Sighing, Shiro gave each of them a ruffle of their hair, earning a pleased hum from them. "Don't worry. Be it ghosts or monsters, I'll protect you from them." he promised.

The paladins instantly relaxed when they heard that. They shift and wiggled a little in their place to find a comfortable position before murmuring goodnights to each other and close their eyes, their breathing evened out as they fell asleep.

Shiro smiled fondly at that before looking back at the tablet he was using, intent to keep his promise to them.

 **00000000000000000000000000000000**

 **Damn, this is the longest chapter I had ever written in this series. For now. This story is for dragoscilvio for their ideas. And also, here's a special bonus!**

 **Extra scene:**

Back at the room that the paladins had previously evacuated from, three colourful mice chittered to themselves in confusion, wondering why the paladins had suddenly run out of the room like that. One of them shrugged before leading them out of the room and towards Allura's, knowing the princess will welcome them with open arms.


	14. Yes, Father

**When some members from the Blade of Marmora comes to talk with Allura,** **they misunderstood something and Shiro was seen as the paladins' father. (again)**

 **00000000000000000000000000000**

Kolivan stepped into the Castle of Lions with his two guards, nodding in acknowledgement towards Coran.

"Nice to see you finally here! The princess is waiting for you at the bridge. If you would please follow me," Coran gestured to them and with swift and silent steps, they followed the Altean along the soft-blue corridor.

Just as they approached the door that leads to the bridge, a loud shout could be heard, followed by a low growl causing Kolivan to stiff up and his guards to shift in a defensive stance. And just as sudden as the noise had appeared, the room beyond the door had suddenly gone quiet.

Not fazed at all by the ruckus that was happening, Coran confidently stepped into the room, glancing around with critical eyes before settling his gaze at the occupants, amusement and slight exasperation dancing in his eyes. "Mind telling me what happened?"

"Fucking cockroaches," Pidge grumbled as she pushed her sliding glasses back on her nose.

Coran quirked an eyebrow at that.

"How in the holy hell they got in here, I will never know, but fuck if I want to see one again. If I do, it will be too soon." Lance hissed as he glared at an empty spot of the room, like as if it had offended him. Hunk nodding vigorously in agreement beside him.

"Lance, language." Shiro frowned as he reprimanded the teen. When he turned around to apologise to Coran, Shiro noticed the visitors standing behind Coran.

"Ah, Kolivan. You are here. Excellent." Allura greeted with a smile, noticing them as well. The other paladins finally noticed the extra presence and shifted their focus towards the newcomers.

"Oh, hey Kolivan!" Lance greeted enthusiastically before he was whacked by the back of his head by Keith. Groaning in pain, Lance glared fiercely at Keith, the Red Paladin doing the same towards the Blue Paladin.

"Alright, that's enough. Come on now kids, you need to give them some privacy." Shiro said as he ushered them out of the room.

"But I want to hear what they're planning!" Pidge pouted but did as she was told, walking sullenly towards the door.

"Nope. This is an adult-only conversation and all of you are clearly not adults yet. So no eavesdropping, no trying to hack into the castle, no using the ventilation shaft and absolutely **no fighting** while I'm gone." Shiro looked sternly at the young paladins before him, especially Lance and Keith, before breaking into a smile. "Go and have some fun. Try not to blow or break anything okay?"

All paladins nodded at once and said, "Yes, father," with a lazy mock salute before dispersing, heading towards their own desired destination as per ordered by Shiro.

Turning his attention back at Allura and Kolivan, he offered them a thin smile, joining their gathering around the holographic image without a word.

Kolivan gave a critical eye at the Black Paladin, making Shiro very uncomfortable. "Is there something wrong, Kolivan?" he asked the Galra in question.

"No... I am just surprised to know that those paladins are actually your offsprings. I was not made aware of that. But now I can fully understand why you are very protective of the youg halfling when he did the Trials." Kolivan explained.

Shiro blinked at that while both Alteans smiled, already used to this kind of misunderstanding.

"I'm sorry but they're not my offspring." Shiro said once he came out of his initial shock.

"They are not?" Kolivan question in surprise. "Then why do they refer to you as 'father' then?"

"Uh..."

Before Shiro could answer, he felt a hand resting on his shoulder. Glancing at the back, he saw Coran smiling a bit too bright than his usual ones. "Coran, what-"

"Yes, Shiro is their father."

Shiro had turned his head around towards Allura so fast, he could hear something cracking. Most probably his neck. But he paid no mind to that as he stared at Allura in shock.

"I see. Then I shall inform the rest of the Blade so they will be properly informed." Kolivan decided which was agreed by Allura 100%. Shiro could just stand there, syill in shock to do anything.

"Let us continue our meeting then, shall we?" Allura asked, snapping Shiro out of his scattered thoughts. With a heavy sigh, Shiro chose to just go with it and think about all of this later. Consequences be damned.


	15. His Father

**Shiro tries to deny it, but deep deep _deeeep_ down, he knew he already accepted it.**

 **000000000000000000000000000000**

Shiro should have done something. It was stupid of him to not do anything when Kolivan left. Now, it looks like the whole universe thinks he is the younger paladins' father.

Just great.

"Aww, come on, Shiro. You have to admit, you sometimes act like our dad." Lance chirped happily at the Black Paladin.

Keith snorts at that. "Try always," he mumbled loud enough for Lance to hear, making the Blue Paladin laugh a bit.

"And you didn't even tell us to stop calling you 'dad' anymore," Pidge added with a grin.

"She's got you there," Hunk commented offhandedly as he looked at the variety of alien ingredients in front of him, eyes focused as if he's dissecting them in his mind.

Both Keith and Lance hummed in agreement beside Shiro, Pidge grinning smugly at that.

Before Shiro could open his mouth to deny her accusations, Pidge let out a high-pitched squeal before darting towards a stall three feet away from their current position.

Shiro sighed tiredly, used to Pidge's random act of disappearance. Keith just shrugged when Lance looked at him in question and followed the Black Paladin towards the youngest, Lance staying behind with Hunk to keep him company.

"Pidge, how many times have I told you about going off on your own in a crowded and foreign place?" Shiro asked once he was standing near the amazed Green Paladin. "And how many times has this been already?"

Pidge straightened herself and turned around to face Shiro. "You told me not to," she answered with a wave of her hand. "And who's counting? Because I surely don't," she said before looking back at the alien gadgets lined neatly in front of her.

Keith who was standing not far but also not near enough with them just watch his surrogate brother sigh in defeat, having no intention to intervene whatsoever. As he observed from the sidelines, he felt a tap on his shoulder and glanced to the side. A green, humanoid alien with white eyeballs was staring at him.

Quirking an eyebrow, Keith looked at the alien in question. "Need something?"

"Are you interested to work for me?" it said, the antennae on his head twitching a little.

Keith blinked once, not able to understand the question. "What?"

"Clearly, you are alone and your looks are a bit different but I am sure you would be able to attract a lot of customers," the antennae twitched again.

 _"Excuse me?"_ Keith gaped at the alien.

Clicking his tongue in irritation, he repeated his question. "Clearly you're not intelligent. No matter. I said-"

"Sorry, but he's with me." Shiro cut in immediately, Pidge looking with hostility at the alien beside him.

"Ah, forgive me. I did not realise that he is with a friend. Perhaps you are interested as well?" the alien offered.

Shiro smiled tightly. "I'm sorry, but I must not have made myself clear. I am his father and as such, I will not allow you to take him anywhere else without my permission," Shiro said with a calm voice.

The alien looked shock and was soon dissolved into a stuttering mess as he tried to excuse himself before openly running away from them.

Pidge snorted in satisfaction as she watched the alien run while Shiro turned his attention towards Keith. "You alright?"

Keith nodded in confirmation before crossing his arms in front of his chest. " _'I am his father'_? God, Shiro. How much obvious are you going to be?" he smirked as Shiro's face slowly turned red.

"I knew you accepted it!" Lance cheered happily, as happy as someone carrying stuff with both hands could be.

"How long were you there?" Keith asked as he took a bag from Hunk, earning a thank you from the Yellow Paladin.

"Long enough to hear what Shiro just said," Lance answered casually, giving a bag from his own pile to Keith with a grateful smile.

"Come on, dad! Let's not keep the princess waiting any longer," the Blue Paladin grinned cheekily as he gestured towards where the castle was located.

Sighing, Shiro ruffled Lance's hair, earning a chuckle from the teen before stepping to the front and lead them back to the castle now known as home.

And as the paladins chattered behind him, Shiro found out that he really didn't mind being known as their father. It still made him feel old though.


	16. Too Young

**Shiro is too young for this shit.**

 **000000000000000000000000000000**

It is a common thing between the paladins to hear and see Lance flirting with every living being he meets and deemed pretty. It is not, however, a common thing to see another living being flirting with him to the point of making him uncomfortable.

Sipping on her water pouch, Pidge watched the scene unfolding in front of her in fascination.

Keith wondered to her side after having enough sightseeing and browsing at the weapons displayed at the stalls. "Is... is Lance being hit on?" Keith asked behind her, confusion seeping through his voice.

"Yup," Pidge answered.

"And... he's uncomfortable with that?"

"Yup."

Keith looked at the scene in front of them in amazement. "Wow."

"Yup."

"Oh hey guys! There you are! Shiro's been looking for you everywhere and-" Hunk stopped mid-sentence when he caught sight of his best friend. "Uh... is Lance... is he...?"

"Yup," Pidge answered again.

Meanwhile, as the others watched him struggle to keep a smiling face, Lance was mentally restraining himself from assaulting the alien flirting with him.

 _"Holy quiznak what is this thing?!"_ Lance screamed in his mind.

 _'It is a species known as the Luxorian. A humanoid lizard known to be easily attracted to other species.'_ Blue supplied an answer to him.

 _"Is that why it's flirting with me?! Why is it flirting with me?!"_

 _'It seems this female Luxorian is attracted to you, my paladin._ ' Blue purred.

"-and since you are a paladin of Voltron, I'm sure our offspring will be strong and wonderful." the female Luxorian smiled sweetly at him.

 _"It wants to have babies with me!!!!"_ Lance screeched in his mind in panic.

' _They are also known as a species that will procreate with another species in order to give birth strong offsprings.'_ Blue added.

 _"Not helping, Blue!"_

"So? What do you say? Want to go out with me? Or are we going to just do the seeding straight away?" the Luxorian asked with a flirty wink.

 _"Somebody help me!!!!!"_

"I'm sorry but he's underaged and should **not** be having any child at the moment," a voice interrupted.

Lance immediately turned around to see Shiro standing with his arms crossed, gaze firm and narrow towards the alien. The other paladins flanked on both sides, acting as backups. Not that Shiro needs it.

"Dad!" Lance exclaimed in relief as he made his way towards him, only to be stopped by the Luxorian gripping his arm tightly. "Where are you going? You are my potential mate and I do not like sharing," it said with a growl.

Caught off guard by the sudden strength, Lance wasn't able to hold back a sharp gasp of pain when the Luxorian's sharp claws dug into his arm.

Pidge and Keith instantly shifted into a ready stance, eyes now looking at the alien with hostility. Hunk's shy smile had turned into a frown, his hands clenched into a fist as he watched Lance's pained face with worry.

Taking a step forward, Shiro pried the Luxorian's hand from Lance and pushed the Blue Paladin behind him, putting himself between the alien and the paladins as they checked to see the injury on Lance.

"I am warning you. Come near me and my kids, and I promise you it will be the last time you will see your hands again," Shiro threatened lowly, his Galra arm flickered and hummed to life as he did so.

The Luxorian took one look at Shiro's Galra arm and paled. It slowly backed away from Shiro, eyes searching for any other threat, before running away from the group.

Once he was sure the Luxorian is far away from them, Shiro took a breath and willed his Galra arm to stop glowing. Turning his attention back towards the paladins, Shiro was glad to see Lance not seriously hurt. "Why can't any of you stay out of trouble once in awhile?" He mused as he approached them.

"We're officially your kids, Shiro. It's our job to get into trouble and be a pain in the ass." Lance answered with a grin. The grin soon disappeared as he hissed in pain when Pidge dabbed a few drops of alcohol on the wound.

"Sorry," Pidge muttered as she wrapped the wound with a piece of handkerchief she brought along. "There, all done! Who's the best medic now?"

"You are, oh mighty Pidge!" Lance bowed down dramatically. "I would be a goner had it not been for you!"

Pidge tilted her chin in triumph. "Damn straight you will."

"Alright, alright. Enough with the theatrics. Let's just go back to the castle and give this stuff to Coran." Shiro intervened before it became even worse.

Both Pidge and Lance giggled before hurrying over to pick up the stuff they bought at the market. Lance was about to grab another bag of food with his injured arm when Keith quickly snatched it away from him. "Nope. Injured. Don't push yourself." Keith said as he lifted it with ease.

"Being chivalric today eh, Mullet?" Lance teased as they followed the rest back towards the castle.

Keith just rolled his eyes. "Shut up, Lance."

"Keith is right. Once we get to the castle, let Coran see your injury and after that, go straight to bed." Shiro ordered.

"Aye aye, Captain!" Lance mock saluted at him. "But really though, you didn't have to do all that threatening stuff. I could have handled just fine."

Both Keith and Pidge snorted at that. Lance gave them a glare.

Shiro chuckled and lightly ruffled the teen's hair. "I know. But when I heard that alien-"

"Luxorian. That alien's a Luxorian. Blue told me."

"Right. When that Luxorian said about having an offspring with you, I just can't stand around and not intervene."

"And why can't you? I mean, wouldn't it be cool to have a child? You get to be grandpa Shiro!"

Shiro stared at Lance with a deadpanned look. "And that's **_exactly why_** I intervened. I'm far too young to be a grandpa."

Lance just shrugged. "Your loss," he said nonchalantly. "But thank you." he thanked Shiro with a smile.

Shiro just ruffled his hair once again. "Anytime, kiddo."

 **00000000000000000000000000**

 **This chapter is dedicated to Melancholy's Sunshine. Your comment had just given me the idea to write this. Thank you very much!**


	17. Trust Me

**Pidge and Lance trust their dad(Shiro) would come for them and keep them safe, no matter what.**

 **00000000000000000000000000000000000**

Groaning in pain, Pidge wondered what the hell did she do to cause a bad headache. Cracking an eye open, she slowly came to realise that she's not in the Castle of the Lions. Instead, she's lying on something hard and rocky, making her very uncomfortable.

"You okay, Pidge?" a voice asked in worry.

Squinting at the blurry image hovering in front of her, she finally realised who it was when the sight of blue and white armour registered in her mind. "Lance..." she whispered hoarsely.

"Easy there. You took a hard hit on your head just now." Lance reminded her.

Oh. So that's why she's having this killer headache. "What... happened...?" Pidge asked as she was finally able to focus on Lance, noticing the cut lips and the bruises littering everywhere, as well as the trail of blood on the right side of his face. "You're... bleeding..." she pointed out with a huff.

Lance immediately touched the blood that had dried on his face. "Yeah. My pretty face is ruined. Those bastards." he smiled wrily.

Pidge smiled at Lance's attempt to cheer her up. But her smile fell when small stabs of pain assaulted her body. "Urgh..." she groaned as she tried to curl herself up.

"Take it easy, Pidgey. They really messed you up," his smile became a little strained when he felt his broken arm throbbed painfully. "Messed us both up." he corrected himself.

"Fuck... it hurts like hell..." Pidge complained. "What happened?"

"You don't remember?" Lance asked in surprise.

"Hit... to the head... remember?"

"Right, a hit to the head. You most probably have a concussion or something." he mumbled to himself. "We got caught by those Velureans rebel. They used a hostage. Took our bayards away when we discarded it. Our helmets too. Turns out the hostage is working with them so we got scammed. Then they beat the shit out of us. You took a hit to the head while trying to cover me. Then they threw us both in this crappy dungeon." Lance told her.

Pidge hummed in acknowledgement, her tensed body relaxing a little at the presence of Green filling her mind, purring with worry.

"I take it Green is worried?" Lance asked.

"Yeah." Pidge answered shortly, exhaustion slowly settling in.

"Blue too." Lance smiled as he closed his eyes, focusing on Blue's soothing purrs.

Silence took over the cell as the two paladins breathed heavily, focused on trying to stay awake as the pain spread all over their bodies, unconsciousness threatening to take over.

"Lance?" Pidge called out a few ticks later.

"Hmm?" the Blue Paladin answered weakly, the loss of blood from the wounds he got already taking a toll on him.

"Shiro will come for us, right?"

Lance opened his eyes to look at the curled up paladin beside him. "Of course he will. He's our dad. He will never stop looking for us."

Pidge smiled a little at that. "Yeah... that's our dad alright," she agreed.

Once again, silence reigned over the small space occupied by the two teens. By now, they're struggling to keep their eyes open and the only thing keeping them from falling asleep were their Lions, rumbling deeply in their minds, urging them to stay awake a little while longer through their bonds.

After what felt like hours, the sound of a fight happening outside their cell stirred the two sleepy paladins awake. Before they had the chance to properly think, the door to their cell was opened and two figures stepped in.

"Lance! Pidge!" Hunk's familiar voice had sent a wave of relief crashing onto their weary bones.

"Hunk, buddy. It's good to hear you," Lance smiled shakily at his best friend.

The other figure, Shiro, crouched beside Pidge and lightly touched her face. "Hey, you okay?" he asked softly.

"I will be if you give me ice-cream." Pidge stated matter-of-factly. "Knew you would come, dad." she murmured sleepily.

Shiro smiled at that. With gentle movements, he carefully gathered the youngest paladin in his arms and carried her bridal style. Pidge sighed happily once she's in Shiro's arm, finally able to be fully relaxed after being so tensed for so long.

Hunk had given Lance a piggyback ride, careful not to jostle Lance's broken arm. Once he was sure Lance won't slip off of him, he gave Shiro a curt nod.

"Alright. Let's go home," he said as he and Hunk moved out of the cell, Keith waiting for them outside.

"Hey, Mullet. Glad to see you here." Lance weakly greeted his rival.

"Just focus on staying awake, idiot." Keith answered, his voice holding a hint of worry.

"Mmm..." he hummed in acknowledgement as he rested his chin on Hunk's shoulder. "M'tired." he slurred sleepily.

"Just hold on for a little while longer, Lance." Hunk pleaded as he, Shiro and Keith rushed to get out and towards their Lions waiting patiently at the exit.

"M'kay..." Lance agreed as he blinked several times to keep himself awake. Shifting his head a little so he could look at Shiro, he gave the Green Paladin who was currently breathing heavily in Shiro's arms a worried look. "Will she be okay?"

"Of course she will. Trust me." Shiro answered.

"M'kay, dad." Lance responded before falling into unconsciousness, fully trusting his teammates would keep him safe.

When he woke up, he found himself falling out from the pod. A pair of arms caught him before he hit the floor and Lance was very grateful for that. "Thanks for saving us, Shiro." he thanked him.

Shiro smiled at that. "I told you guys didn't I? When you're in trouble, trust me to always have your back."

Lance grinned. When his stomach growled, Shiro just chuckled lightly while Lance smiled in embarassment. "Let's get you something to eat. Hunk's already cooking for Pidge. I'm sure he doesn't mind cooking something for you too," Shiro suggested.

Lance agreed enthusiastically and followed Shiro to the kitchen, not able to contain his excitement to meet Hunk and have his food again.


	18. One Little Family

**Sometimes, Allura forgot that she is a part of their family too. She just needs Shiro to remind her**.

 **000000000000000000000000000000000**

Shiro was strolling along the halls, humming a tune to a song he remembered when Black made her presence known.

 _'Paladin. Someone is still up.'_ Black purred within his mind.

"Oh? Where?"

 _'The bridge.'_

He hummed in acknowledgement and made his way towards the bridge, already guessing who it was. When he stepped into the room, he was not surprised to see her.

"Princess," Shiro greeted.

Allura tore her gazes away from the starmap and looked at Shiro. "Shiro!" she gasped in surprise. "What are you doing here at this hour?"

"I should be asking you that, princess." Shiro countered. "We had a hard battle yesterday. Why aren't you resting?"

Allura shifted her eyes away from the paladin. "I... couldn't sleep." she admitted with a soft voice, rubbing her cold shoulders slowly.

Understanding what she meant, he quietly approached Allura, settling himself beside her before draping his human arm around her and pulled her into a hug.

Caught by surprise, Allura blushed at how close she is with Shiro.

"You know you can come to me or Coran when something is bothering you," Shiro offered lightly. "You're not alone anymore. You're not fighting this war by yourself."

Tears began to form in her eyes and she hastily wiped it away. "I know, I know. It's just... I sometimes remembered something about Altea and the fact that I won't be able to return to the sweet smell of the juniberries is..." Allura trailed off, her voice cracking a little.

Shiro could only squeeze her shoulder and stare at the starmap in silence, offering her a quiet support through his action.

"I lost my family when I left, Shiro. And then, just when I have my father back... I lost that too. And now... now I have none." Allura weeped at the pain of losing everything. Her home, her planet, her people, her father.

"That's not true. You have Coran. You have us." he reminded her. "And even though you have lost a family, you had also gained a new one."

Allura looked up at Shiro, confusion etched on her face. "I did?"

Shiro smiled at her. "Yeah, we're your family now. Coran, me, the mice, the paladins, even the Lions. They're your family now. We might not say it out loud, but we had already considered ourselves as one little family."

Allura stared at him in disbelief. "Really?"

"Truly," he answered. "Now let's get you back to bed. Not having your beauty sleep is not a good thing for your skin," he joked as he led both of them out of the room.

Allura chuckled a little. "You sounded just like Lance. "

"Oh no, what should I do? I'm going to start flirting if I become like him," Shiro gasped in a fake dismay, causing the Altean to laugh.

"Alright, alright. Enough joking around. Off to bed now," Shiro ordered as he ushered them two their rooms.

"Yes, Father," Allura joked, causing Shiro to grin. "Goodnight, Allura." he said before parting ways.

"Goodnight, Shiro," she replied as she watched him disappear around the corner. Stepping into her room, she was loudly greeted by the mice, chittering happily at her. She patted each of them and stepped out of her gown into a more comfortable sleepwear. Slipping under the comforters with the mice, Allura sighed in relief and slowly drifted to sleep with a smile plastered on her face.


End file.
